The concept of “marketing,” or the murkiness that exists around branding and the rest of the marketing world, is among the things Kevin Zimmerman discussed with author Rob Walker in today’s Marketing Xfactor. Walker also talks about the fleeting happiness that comes with acquiring things, and his belief that branding is as powerful a force in today’s media landscape as ever.

What do you think the future holds for branding? Are consumers really “brand-proof” as some experts say, or is Walker right that with some creative marketing, customer immunity to brands can be overcome?

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Years from now, when our children ask, "What did you do in the mobile revolution, Daddy?" we may find ourselves saying something like: "Uh ... I was waiting for it to actually happen."

That was the somewhat surprising theme at last week's Mobile Marketing Forum in New York. On the one hand we heard outgoing Mobile Marketing Association president Laura Marriott say that about half of the world's population -- 3.3 billion people -- are mobile subscribers, compared with 1 billion worldwide Internet users. On the other hand, we heard Mozes Inc. founder and CEO Dorrian Porter compare the mobile environment to the movie Groundhog Day, noting that each of the past several years has been breathlessly heralded as "The Year of Mobile" -- only to see those hopes dashed. (Amusingly, Porter started giving the same presentation on the Forum's second day.)

So just what is going on?

Continue reading "Still Awaiting the Mobile Revolution" »

Posted by Kevin Zimmerman at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Have you heard? Left for dead, consigned to the dustbin of history, gone and more or less forgotten, a familiar name has suddenly re-emerged, thrilling longtime fans who thought it was all over; that the fat lady had not only sung, but had packed up her sheet music, hailed a cab, and dived headfirst into a vat of chocolate mousse.

No, not Hillary Clinton, who hasn't (and may never) go away. Not the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who after being the feel-good baseball story of the past couple of months are in the midst of a bickering downward spiral (and yes, I know they're technically just "The Rays" now, but I still call that other team the "California Angels," so sue me). And certainly not Big Brown, who answered the Triple Crown question "What can brown do for you?" with a resounding, "Umm, not much" at the Belmont.

I am, in fact, speaking of the long-moribund Hydrox cookie, which Kellogg's recently announced will be returning "for a limited time" in August.

Continue reading "Return of the Undead Brand" »

Posted by Kevin Zimmerman at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

No doubt many of you have read about the controversy surrounding Rachael Ray, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Michelle Malkin over an wardrobe choice with alleged terrorist ties. For those who haven’t, Malkin, a conservative columnist ultra-radical nut, wrote a column comparing the scarf Ray wore in an online coffee ad to that worn by Muslim terrorists. Dunkin’ Donuts, looking to avoid controversy, pulled the ad to ward off further protests. However, the company may have created more problems than it solved by giving in so quickly over what isn’t such a black-and-white issue.

Continue reading "Uproar Over a Scarf" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In the July/August issue of 1to1 Magazine we’re working on a story about search engine optimization (SEO) and how mastering it is more than just knowing which keywords to buy and how to create the most inbound or outbound links. I came across two examples this week of companies that clearly don’t understand what SEO is all about, for two very different reasons. One is looking at a possible ban from Google for undermining the spirit of search engine practices, while the other has its head in the sand trying to pretend the digital age isn’t happening.

Continue reading "Why it’s important to understand SEO" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)